The 2002 documentary film Bowling For Columbine written and produced by Michael Moore, explores the reason why American society suffers from gun violence. Michael Moore is a multi-award winning filmmaker producing and directing numerous films including Fahrenheit 9/11 and Bowling For Columbine which were both winners of the Academy Award for Documentary Film. In the film, Moore investigates several gun-related crimes, focusing on the Columbine high school massacre where two seemingly harmless adolescents armed with deadly weapons shot and killed thirteen people as well as injuring twenty-one others. The film also attempts to discover why America’s nature of violence far exceed other countries’. With much support throughout the film, Moore conveys
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An example of his use of ethos would be in the beginning of the film when he enters the North Country Bank in Michigan after seeing an ad that promoted a free gun for every account opened. Since Michael Moore is an acclaimed documentary producer, he believes if his audience witnesses him obtaining a gun from bank with ease, they will surely understand how accessible guns are in America. However, in reality, a very limited number of banks actually give out free guns and the ones that do so, make its clients go through a tedious background check before they can go pick it up at a faraway warehouse. Other scenes in the documentary depicting the use of ethos is when Moore interviews renowned figures such as Marilyn Manson and Charlton Heston. Marilyn Manson was an extremely popular heavy metal composer and singer that was accused of being a possible motivation for the Columbine massacre. Interviewing Manson shows Moore’s audience that even a famous artist like Manson who frequently sings about death, believes that the violence stems from US society’s fear. During the interview with Moore, he states that when “you’re watching the news, you're being pumped full of fear, there's floods, there's AIDS, there's murder” and when it cuts to the commercial, “buy the Acura, buy the Colgate, if you have bad breath they're not going to talk to you”. He believes the media is …show more content…
When Moore showed the clip of Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold unleashing their bullets in the school, it created a sense of anger in his audience. The devastating shooting makes its audience think what caused the massacre and what could have been done to prevent it. He then proceeds to play a clip of a father who lost his son in the shooting. He announces to a large crowd that “Something is wrong in this country when a child can grab a gun, grab a gun so easily, and shoot a bullet into the middle of a child's face, as my son experienced” which further evokes the feeling of sympathy and rage towards American society. Towards the end of the documentary, he also interviews two victims of the shooting, Mark Taylor and Richard Castaldo. The victims explain their severe disabilities and how much the injuries have restricted their lives. Moore brings them to Kmart and successfully stops the distribution of handgun ammunition. This makes the audience believe that what Michael Moore is doing is supported by those affected by America’s violent nature.
In conclusion, Michael Moore effectively incorporates the usage of logos, ethos, and pathos into his documentary film. He uses these methods to support his idea that America’s nature of violence arises from its climate of fear and easily accessible firearms. Although Moore, manipulated some of his facts to create a bias, many of his arguments
An example of his use of ethos would be in the beginning of the film when he enters the North Country Bank in Michigan after seeing an ad that promoted a free gun for every account opened. Since Michael Moore is an acclaimed documentary producer, he believes if his audience witnesses him obtaining a gun from bank with ease, they will surely understand how accessible guns are in America. However, in reality, a very limited number of banks actually give out free guns and the ones that do so, make its clients go through a tedious background check before they can go pick it up at a faraway warehouse. Other scenes in the documentary depicting the use of ethos is when Moore interviews renowned figures such as Marilyn Manson and Charlton Heston. Marilyn Manson was an extremely popular heavy metal composer and singer that was accused of being a possible motivation for the Columbine massacre. Interviewing Manson shows Moore’s audience that even a famous artist like Manson who frequently sings about death, believes that the violence stems from US society’s fear. During the interview with Moore, he states that when “you’re watching the news, you're being pumped full of fear, there's floods, there's AIDS, there's murder” and when it cuts to the commercial, “buy the Acura, buy the Colgate, if you have bad breath they're not going to talk to you”. He believes the media is …show more content…
When Moore showed the clip of Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold unleashing their bullets in the school, it created a sense of anger in his audience. The devastating shooting makes its audience think what caused the massacre and what could have been done to prevent it. He then proceeds to play a clip of a father who lost his son in the shooting. He announces to a large crowd that “Something is wrong in this country when a child can grab a gun, grab a gun so easily, and shoot a bullet into the middle of a child's face, as my son experienced” which further evokes the feeling of sympathy and rage towards American society. Towards the end of the documentary, he also interviews two victims of the shooting, Mark Taylor and Richard Castaldo. The victims explain their severe disabilities and how much the injuries have restricted their lives. Moore brings them to Kmart and successfully stops the distribution of handgun ammunition. This makes the audience believe that what Michael Moore is doing is supported by those affected by America’s violent nature.
In conclusion, Michael Moore effectively incorporates the usage of logos, ethos, and pathos into his documentary film. He uses these methods to support his idea that America’s nature of violence arises from its climate of fear and easily accessible firearms. Although Moore, manipulated some of his facts to create a bias, many of his arguments